Home for Christmas: After months in intensive care, little fighters give their parents a perfect present

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By ALISON SMITH SQUIRE and TAMARA COHEN

Finley Burton: Survived after his body was 'frozen' by surgeons to slow down his heart beat


After you’ve beaten the toughest odds simply to survive, every day is Christmas.

But tomorrow will be extra special for these babies, at home with their parents for the first time after months in intensive care.

Born prematurely or facing serious complications, nearly every day of their short lives has been a battle.

But as Christmas Day dawns, they will be snuggled up at home where they belong, for a day of celebration their parents hardly dared dream of.

FINLEY BURTON
Just a few months ago, Finley burton lay paralysed on a hospital bed, his life hanging in the balance.

At ten weeks, he suffered complications after an operation to repair a large hole in his heart.


Wired up: Finley in his hospital bed wired up to lots of machines


His body went into ectopic tachycardia, a rapid heart beat of up to 200 beats a minute that can be fatal.

Desperate to save him, doctors used a pioneering technique, ‘freezing’ him to slow down his out-of-control heart rate.

Yesterday, Finley, now ten months, was enjoying the snow with his parents Aaron, 32, and Donna, 28, at their home in Easington, Co. Durham.


‘We really thought we were going to lose him,’ said his mother. ‘It’s a miracle that he survived and we can now enjoy our first family Christmas.’

BURDEN TWINS
Dressed in matching red outfits, the six-month-old Burden twins have made it home in time for their first Christmas too.

Parents Lee Burden, 35, and Amanda Staplehurst, 31, feared the worst when Amelia-Hope was born at 23 weeks, weighing a mere 1lb 2oz.


Amelia-Hope Burden and her brother, Arthur, who weighed 1lb 2oz and 1lb 4oz respectively with their mother, Amanda


Tiny: When she was born, Amelia-Hope weighed just 1lb 2oz. Her twin brother came ten days later and weighed 1lb 4oz


Arthur followed ten days later, at 1lb 4oz, and their battle for life began.

Somehow, their fighting spirit won through and they became the youngest premature twins to survive in the UK.

They were allowed to leave hospital only last month.

‘Bringing them home is the best gift we could have asked for,’ said their mother at the family home in Bournemouth.

JENKINSON TRIPLETS


Three times the fun: Rebecca and Iain Jenkinson with Gabriella, Alexander and Zachary


Happiness is trebled in the Jenkinson household this Christmas. triplets gabriella, zachary and alex were born two months premature after being conceived naturally in a 750,000-to-one chance.

While the first two arrived safely, Alex had a serious heart condition that needed surgery and mother Rebecca had to have a life-saving blood transfusion.

After the drama of last December’s birth, Rebecca and husband Iain are relishing every moment together at their home in Warrington.

‘All three of them are happy and healthy,’ Mrs Jenkinson said. ‘They’re my Christmas miracle babies.’


Merry Christmas 2010 !



source: dailymail
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The City star banned from fashion website after shocked readers complain about her stick-thin frame

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By MAYSA RAWI

Weighty issue: Allie Crandell models a black leather dress by BCBG on the Revolve website, but has been banned after readers complained she was too thin


The City star Allie Crandell has been banned from a popular American fashion retailer after readers complained about her skinny frame.

Revolve clothing featured Crandell on their online boutique looking painfully thin as she models a collection by BCBG Max Azria.

One image in particular showing her tiny waist and arms sparked outrage among shoppers.


Painfully thin: Allie has attracted attention in the past over her weight while she was on American show The City


One shopper wrote: 'As a normal, healthy woman with a healthy body type. How can I possibly imagine what this dress would look like on me when it is shown on an emaciated frame?'

Revolve have promised not to feature Crandell on their site until she puts on weight.

The spokesperson said: 'We are working closely with both the model and her agent to get her to a healthier size.



Doll-sized: Revolve have said they are working with both the model and her agent to get her to a healthier size


'She won't be appearing in any of our new product batches or in any of our fashion editorial photos moving forward until the issue is adequately addressed.

'We have been attempting to respect the privacy of the model in question while dealing with the issue on our end.'

In 2008, Crandell became a part of the MTV reality show The City.

In one episode, fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone accused her of being too thin before the model goes on to defend herself by insisting she eats healthily.

Although she played a major role in the first season, she has only appeared twice in the second half.

She also starred in Shayne Ward's 2006 No Promises video.

Crandell confirmed via her personal Twitter account that she will no longer be appearing on the show, stating, 'I'm done with the City forever.'

source: dailymail
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Looking fabulous at 50: Carol Vorderman shows why she refuses to fret about her body

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By EMILY ANDREWS

Birthday girl: Carol Vorderman is fabulous at 50


In her younger days she sometimes counted her imperfections. Today, as she turns 50, Carol Vorderman prefers to count her blessings.

And as her elegant red gown shows, she is a woman who has been very blessed indeed.

‘When you’re in your 20s and 30s you often think “I don’t like this bit, I don’t like that bit, I wish I could shave a few inches off here”,’ she said.

‘But when you’re older you’re just blooming grateful for what you’ve got!

‘For instance, I’ve learned that women spend lots of time worrying about cellulite but men just don’t see it, particularly as they get older themselves and their eyesight goes too!

‘At this age you don’t beat yourself up any more - what’s the point?

‘I’m comfortable in my skin, I’m really happy and that’s all that counts.’

The mother of two, who co-hosted Channel Four’s Countdown for 26 years, has been busy concentrating on figures other than her own since she left the show.


She is chairman of a Conservative Party Task Force that will report in the new year on improving maths education.

And she is running an online maths school for children up to age 12, www.themathsfactor.com, which operates with a team of 12 from Bristol.

Then there is the delight of family life in Somerset with her daughter Katie, 18, son Cameron, 13, and mother Jean, 82.

Christmas, coinciding with her birthday, is always a favourite time.

‘I was called Carol because I was born on Christmas Eve... no surprises there...and I just love this time of year,’ she said.

The year ahead, it seems, will be Carol’s year of living dangerously. She wants to use her 51st year to do 50 things she’s always dreamed of, such as learning to ski, completing a scuba diving course and getting her pilot’s licence.

‘I’m actually a real daredevil and I love engines, as I read engineering at Cambridge, so I want to learn to fly and go wing-walking and do some aerobatics,’ she said.

‘This will be an aviation year - I want to go ballooning in Switzerland and to see the final space shuttle go up.

‘There are all these things I’ve always wanted to do, but in the past the kids have been too young or I’ve been working too hard.

‘Now we can do all these things together and I have a lot more time.

‘Katie’s on her gap year before university so hopefully she can come with me to the States to learn to fly and I’ve got lots more things planned.

‘I was the kid on free school meals from a single parent family in the 60s who managed to get to Cambridge and have made the most of everything I could by working hard since then.

‘And as this year ends, I could burst with excitement. I know that a new chapter is beginning.’

Hard work, she often says, has been the key to her success. And it seems that also applies to her fabulous fiftysomething figure. ‘I do have to watch what I eat,’ she admitted.


Carol & Katie Vorderman



Carol Vorderman - Daybreak 10Nov2010


source: dailymail
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Brave Michael Douglas continues the fight as Danny DeVito accepts award on actor's behalf

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Taking its toll: Michael Douglas looked tired and frail as he left his Manhattan home today


Brave Michael Douglas continued to defy his cancer to carry on with normal life as he walked his daughter to school in New York today.

The 66-year-old actor is undergoing gruelling treatment to fight his throat cancer, which doctors have told him he has an 80 per cent chance of survival.

As Douglas concentrates on regaining his health, his friend Danny Devito headed to Zurich to pick up a prestigious award on his behalf.


Feeling the strain: Douglas is currently undergoing gruelling chemo treatment for throat cancer


DeVito, who co-starred with Douglas in Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, accepted the Golden Icon Award on behalf of his friend at the Zurich Film Festival.

Despite the actor's illness, DeVito kept things light-hearted, telling the audience: 'Michael is so strong. He gets better and better with every movie he makes.

'So that's why I tell him to work more.'


On the school run: He was pictured today taking daughter Carys Zeta to school


Last week Douglas's wife Catherine Zeta-Jones abandoned plans to watch the Ryder Cup after attending the grand opening ceremony.


How he was: Looking fuller-faced and healthier back in March


On Wednesday evening Zeta-Jones had said that her husband was 'doing great, given the circumstances.

She said: 'Michael's not travelling with me this weekend. He's just finishing up his treatment.

'He's holding up very, very well and everyone could not be happier with the progress. He's doing fine thanks.

'He's strong and the doctors are so happy and he's just about to complete - what anyone who's gone through it knows - a pretty gruelling eight weeks.'

While Zeta-Jones would normally have stayed with her husband to watch the golf - both love the sport - she then flew home the following morning to be with him and their two children Carys, seven, and Dylan, ten.

The Oscar-winning actress has also pulled out of a new film role so she could spend time with her husband during his health battle.

Zeta-Jones, 40, had been due to play Vivien Leigh in the film My Week With Marilyn alongside Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams - a part she was said to be eager to take.


An honour: Danny DeVito accepted the Golden Icon Award on behalf of Douglas, at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland


'He gets better and better': DeVito, with U.S. actor Frank Langella and U.S. film director and screenwriter Oliver Stone



source :dailymail
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From road run to school run: Kate Gosselin shows off her trim figure while jogging before picking up the children

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Fitness fanatic: Kate Gosselin shows off her washboard stomach and toned figure as she goes out jogging near her home in Reading Pennsylvania yesterday


It can't be easy taking care of eight children while having to find time to maintain your enviable figure.

But Kate Gosselin manages to make it look like a breeze.

Yesterday, the mother-of eight went for a long jog near her home in Reading, Pennsylvania before picking up her children from school.

The 35-year-old reality show star showed off her washboard stomach and toned legs in a cropped grey vest top and grey shorts on her run.

At one point, the exercise seemed to be taking its toll, with Gosselin looking a little puffed out.

However, she soon recovered to pick her kids up from their school later on in the afternoon.


Mum's the word: Gosselin shepherds two of her daughters into the car after picking them up from school


Covered up in a grey T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan Nobody Ever Regretted It, Gosselin shepherded her children into the car.

It seems that Gosselin, who stars in her own reality show Kate Plus Eight, is very much getting back into her everyday routine after a holiday in Mexico at the beginning of the month.

She is now single after divorcing her husband of over ten years, Jon, earlier this year following allegations he had cheated.


Keeping order: Gosselin looked sporty in grey shorts and a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: Nobody Has Ever Regretted It


source :dailymail
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Catherine Zeta Jones flies back to Michael Douglas as cancer fears grow

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By BEN TODD and BAZ BAMIGBOYE

Back home: Catherine Zeta Jones touched down in New York today after cutting short her visit to Wales


Fears were growing over the health of Michael Douglas last night after his wife Catherine Zeta- Jones cut short her trip to Britain and pulled out of a film.

The actress had been due to stay in Wales to watch the Ryder Cup this weekend, but yesterday she flew back to New York, where her film star husband is receiving treatment for throat cancer.

The previous evening she had indicated that she would remain in Wales for the duration of the three-day event.

But yesterday she was driven from Cardiff to London to catch her flight - as it emerged that she has put her film career on hold while Douglas, 66, continues his health battle.

Miss Zeta-Jones, 40, had been due to play Vivien Leigh in the film My Week With Marilyn alongside Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams - a part she was said to be eager to take.

However, she has now turned down the role because she does not want to be away from Douglas for an extended period. The Hollywood couple are both golf fanatics and Douglas had been scheduled to travel with his wife to Wales to see the Ryder Cup but had to pull out as he continued chemotherapy.


Worried: Catherine cut short her trip to the UK and has pulled out of a film to be with her husband
The Wall Street star had particularly hoped to watch the U.S. team retain golf's premier trophy against their European rivals.


Instead, he stayed in New York with their two children Carys, seven, and Dylan, ten.


Brave face: Michael Douglas in New York yesterday


On Wednesday evening Miss Zeta-Jones had said that her husband was 'doing great, given the circumstances.

She said: 'Michael's not travelling with me this weekend. He's just finishing up his treatment.

'He's holding up very, very well and everyone could not be happier with the progress. He's doing fine thanks.

'He's strong and the doctors are so happy and he's just about to complete - what anyone who's gone through it knows - a pretty gruelling eight weeks.'

Miss Zeta-Jones was speaking before hosting a pre-Ryder Cup concert at Cardiff 's Millennium Stadium.

Earlier she had discussed her husband's continued fight against the disease with Prince Charles.

'Well, wish him all my best. Positive thoughts,' the prince told her.

Miss Zeta-Jones also told how Douglas was planning to watch the tournament at the Celtic Manor course on their TV at home.

She said: 'Michael will be glued to anything that has a golf ball and a club, especially the Ryder Cup.
'Usually I would be watching it with him. I just hope the weather holds up - but we can't help any of that and we're used to it.'

Despite Miss Zeta-Jones' public comments on Wednesday night indicating that she would be staying for the tournament, her spokesman this morning insisted she had always planned to return to the US yesterday.

A spokesman said early today: 'She never said she was staying for the Ryder Cup and in fact made it clear she was only here for the opening night. Those were always the arrangements.'


Emotional: Catherine Zeta Jones fought back tears as she spoke of her husband's brave recovery at the Welcome To Wales concert at Millennium Stadium


source :dailymail
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Jessie Wallace ditches the gym junkie look and regains some healthy curves

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By Jessica Satherley

The casual look: Jessie dressed down for a day of shopping at Tesco


She famously dropped from a size 16 to an 8 and even released her own fitness DVD but Jessie Wallace has now opted for a healthier look once again.

After shedding so much weight she resorted to wearing a fat suit on stage for her role in the musical Stepping Out, the actress has now embraced some new curves once again.

The 38-year-old EastEnders star admitted that exercise had become an obsession for her but as she was spotted doing some shopping in Hertfordshire today she had ditched the super skinny look.


Curves regained: Jessie Wallace seems to have shed her obsessive diet and looks back to a healthier size


Wallace, who plays Kat Moon on the BBC soap, dressed casually in baggy jeans, trainers and a vest top as she was snapped near Elstree Studios.

Her muscular arms showed she’s still hitting the gym but looks as though she’s finally treated herself to a more realistic diet as her once taught abs seem to have disappeared.

At the peak of her slimming obsession she said: ‘I haven’t treated myself at all. I go to the gym three times a week and do half an hour on the running machine.

‘Then I work my arms, my legs, my a***, my tummy, every part of the body, doing weight machines. It has become an obsession, but a good one.’


Gym junkie: Jessie at her thinnest in 2009 and with a fuller figure in 2004


She also cut out wheat, dairy and alcohol from her diet and switched to snacking on fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds.

And her gruelling regime led her to shift a whopping two stone in six weeks, leading her to lose her once ample cleavage that she loved to show off at a size 16.

The 5’2’’ star then released her fat-burning workout Jessie Wallace: Look At Me Now late last year, following in the footsteps of her EastEnders co-star Natalie Cassidy.

But the mother-of-one seems to have put her extreme obsession behind her for now and looked to be a healthy size 10 to 12 again.



source: dailymail [endtext]

Catherine Zeta-Jones's fury at the doctors who missed her husband Michael Douglas's throat cancer

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By Daily Mail Reporter

Angered: Catherine Zeta Jones says doctors failed to spot her husband's throat cancer at first, seen here together at in June 2009 in Los Angeles


Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed her anger at doctors who failed to spot her husband's cancer.

She said Michael Douglas had complained repeatedly about ear and throat pain but it was not until three weeks ago that a walnut-size tumour was discovered under his tongue.

'It makes me furious they didn't detect it earlier,' Miss Zeta-Jones said. 'He sought every option and nothing was found.'

The actress, who has been married to 65-year-old Douglas for ten years, admitted she wasn't that surprised when throat cancer was finally diagnosed.

'It wasn't a huge shock,' she said in a magazine interview. 'I knew something was up. He knew something was up.'

Douglas has begun an intensive eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiation.

However, in a separate TV appearance, he told how the cancer had spread to his neck and other parts of his head.


Not Falling Down: Douglas remained positive as he talked to chat show host David Letterman about his chances of beating cancer last night


Bear hug: David Letterman gave Michael a massive hug after their chat


He said the cancer was at 'stage four', where it has spread from the original tumour, making it harder to beat and much more dangerous.

He tried to make light of his condition, but described his treatment as a struggle and added: 'I'm treating this as a curable disease. It's a fight. I'll beat this.'

The actor - star of Wall St, Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct - said on the Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday that doctors had given him an 80 per cent chance of survival and that he had had the first week of treatment.


Hard battle: At times the actor looked troubled as he spoke of his cancer fight


Moving speech: The Oscar-winning actor was given a standing ovation at the end of his interview


He admitted to Letterman that the type of cancer was caused by alcohol and smoking, but added: 'It's been a long year and I do think this is stress-related.'

When Douglas said his cancer was at stage four, he was asked by Letterman if that was a good diagnosis.

The actor replied: 'Um, no,' adding: 'It's intense, and so they've got to go at it.

I am head and neck, nothing's gone down, and the expectations are good.'

Douglas's 'long year' was a reference to his eldest son Cameron being jailed for five years on drugs offences.

He has also been involved in a legal fight with first wife Diandra who wants half of his earnings from his latest film Wall St 2: Money Never Sleeps.


Tough guy: Douglas arriving at the Manhattan studios of The Late Show with David Letterman last night looking dapper in a white suit, pink shirt and suede brogues


He told Letterman that he had felt something was wrong weeks before the diagnosis. 'It had been bothering me for a while. I went through a litany of doctors and tests.'

Asked if the doctors found the cancer earlier enough, Douglas said: 'I sure as s*** hope so.'

While his wife was furious about the late diagnosis, Douglas was more understanding.
'These things sometimes just don't show up,' he said.

He said his family were at their home on Bermuda while he has treatment in New York. He said Miss Zeta-Jones, 40, had been 'so supportive' since the diagnosis.

She said in her interview with People magazine that her husband had broken the news of his illness to their children Dylan, ten, and Carys, seven.

She also revealed she was struggling emotionally with seeing him lose his strength as a result of the treatment. 'I know maybe I should be stronger, but...the hardest part is seeing his fatigue, because Michael is never tired.'



source: dailymail

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Blooming Miranda Kerr reveals her tiny baby bump for the first time

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By Andrea Magrath

Baby bump: Model Miranda Kerr shows her baby bump for the first time in this video for her Kora organic skincare range


She married in secret and kept the happy news that she is expecting under wraps for as long as she could.

But now that she and husband Orlando Bloom have confirmed that the Victoria's Secret model is pregnant, Miranda Kerr has revealed her small bump for the first time.

In a video to promote her new organic skincare range Kora, 27-year-old Miranda's burgeoning baby bump is obvious while she practices yoga.

And while mere mortals would be quite pleased to have her figure even at four months pregnant, the slightly protruding stomach is an obvious change from her usual diminutive figure.

It appears that the Australian supermodel will be following in the footsteps of her former Victoria's Secret colleague Gisele Bundchen, and will maintain her enviable figure through her pregnancy.

Miranda speaks on her virtuous lifestyle in the video, Miranda Kerr's Organic Life with Kora, but manages to avoid the preaching tone that has irritated so many of Gisele's critics.


Early days: Kerr, who is four months along, shows the smallest hint of a bump, only obvious because of her tiny frame


Model behaviour: The devout Buddhist promotes healthy living by eating organically and practicing yoga. She undoubtedly will remain fit and healthy throughout her pregnancy


'Kora is about nurturing your core, your inner and outer self - your mind, your body and your spirit. Kora is a choice in how we live our lives,' she says.

'We can choose to fill our bodies with nutrients through eating organic foods. We can choose to value our bodies through exercise whether it be yoga, running or whatever appeals to you; By taking the time out to really relax and rejuvenate and reflect.

'I live in one of the busiest cities in the world and I'm travelling constantly, yes I've chosen to create my own organic lifestyle that no matter where I am I can apply this lifestyle.'

Both Miranda and Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle, with Miranda, who hails from country town Gunnedah, dreaming of a quiet life one day.


Organic life: The 27-year-old shows speaks about her healthy living lifestyle in the video


'Nurturing your core': The Australian model promotes the virtues of exercise and relaxation in the video


'My ideal situation would be to live on a farm in a solar-powered house with a hammock and a vegetable patch,' Miranda said in past interviews.

'When this is all over that's where I'll be.'

The couple married suddenly and in secret in a romantic, intimate ceremony in Anguilla last month, fuelling speculation that Miranda was pregnant. Their fans didn't have to wait long before the announcement came.

Orlando was beaming at a press event for his new movie The Three Musketeers earlier this month. 'I'm really excited about it, it's great,' he said.

But the actor, 33, will be forced to spend much of the pregnancy away from his new wife, as filming will be taking place in France and Germany.

'I'll go home as often as possible,' Bloom says. 'She'll come out here too.'


Changing body: The Victoria's Secret model is famous for her tiny frame and killer curves, and will undoubtedly bounce back quickly thanks to her healthy lifestyle


source: dailymail [endtext]

Hoping for a fitness DVD deal? Josie Gibson shows off her curves on the beach

By ANDREA MAGRATH

Sunshine holiday: Josie Gibson parades on the beach in Marbella in a red bikini


She proudly posed for pictures in a bikini after losing three stone in January.

And while it appears as though Josie Gibson has gained back the weight, it hasn't stopped her proudly parading on the beach in a bikini.

The Big Brother winner wore a skimpy red two-piece during a hen's weekend in Marbella, Spain.

The 26-year-old looked like she is well and truly over her split from John James Parton, laughing and smiling in the sunshine.

Later Josie tucked in to a big lunch at a cafe with a friend, enjoying a large beer to wash it down.

The Bristol blonde announced in late March that she and her former Big Brother housemate had parted ways.


Baywatch moment: The Big Brother winner jogged along the shoreline in another red swimsuit


Chilling out: After her run on the beach, Gibson sat down in the sand


Speaking to Now magazine, she revealed that the Australian taunted her about her weight.

'He put me through so many mind games. He used to go on about my weight all the time,' she said. 'He would take the p**s out of my looks and make me feel ugly. He used to tell me I was thick.

'I can only be myself and I can't always be everyone's cup of tea.

'I think I'm a bit like Marmite, really. People either love me or f****** hate me.

If people like me, they like me; if they don't - they can f*** off!'


Appetite: Josie tucked in to a large lunch by the seaside, with a beer to wash it down


Now and then: Josie appears to have re-gained some of the three stone she lost earlier this year


In January Josie dropped from from 16st 7lbs to 13st 7lbs.

At the time she credited her weight-loss to eating healthily and exercising between three and four times a week.

A friend told Mail Online that she had re-gained some pounds in recent months, and rather than desperately trying to lose the weight fast, Josie is embracing her size 16 figure and designing a plus-size clothing range for Curvissa.


'He made me feel ugly': Josie says her ex John James taunted her about her weight


source: dailymail